


Strange Brew

by Alchemine



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22944955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alchemine/pseuds/Alchemine
Summary: Late at night in the potions lab, Hecate offers Dimity some awkward commiseration on her situation with Miss Hempnettle. Post S4E6
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Strange Brew

Contrary to its mistress’s personality, the potions lab was bright and cheerful during the day, with sunlight from the tall windows spilling across the honey-coloured stonework. At night, it was dark and gloomy as anything, but Dimity didn’t mind. She liked a good witchy atmosphere now and then, and anyway, she needed to use the equipment to mix a salve for her aching hip. Normally she’d slip in when Hecate wasn’t around, but this time she’d caught Hecate at work on some private experiment of her own, and had been surprised when Hecate said, agreeably enough for her, that Dimity could come in if she didn’t make a mess or a noise. 

“I could have done that for you, you know,” Hecate said after a bit, indicating the cauldron full of salve ingredients. A trio of glossy black beetle shells went into her mortar, where she attacked them with the pestle. “There’s no need to come all the way here after a long day and aggravate your injury even more.” 

“That’s all right,” Dimity said comfortably. “I’ve always liked brewing potions. It’s relaxing. And was my second-best subject at school, if you want to know.” 

“You are...rather competent at it.” Hecate made this comment mostly into the noxious paste of ingredients she was grinding away at, but Dimity caught it anyway and grinned. 

“Coming from you, I’ll take that as a resounding compliment. Do you mind if I use the last of this belladonna?”

Hecate shrugged. “I was planning to send the first years out on a gathering expedition tomorrow anyway. I can add it to their lists. The nonmagical ones ought to learn what it looks like now, or else they’ll think they can make pies with the berries.” 

“Thanks.” 

Having reached this agreement, they worked quietly at their separate projects for a while, with the thick goo in the cauldron bubbling and gurgling and sighing as it cooked down. Along the corridor, Miss Cackle’s beloved grandfather clock let out a single, echoing _clang_ , and Hecate snapped open the pocket watch round her neck to check it, then clicked her tongue, irritated.

“Five minutes fast.” 

“Mmm.” Dimity was only half listening, thinking she’d have to finish the salve soon and set it to cool, or it wouldn’t be ready to use in the morning. Like most athletes, she could bear up under pain when she had to, but she didn’t want to suffer unnecessarily, either. She hoped Enid wasn’t letting the awful Arabella push her too hard in that direction. Probably she ought to have included a warning about that in their conversation as well, but she thought Enid had heard all the anti-Hempnettle sentiment she was up to for one day. Horrid woman, of all the people for Miss Cackle to bring in…

“What?” she said, realising that Hecate had said something and interrupted her fantasies of creating a spell to launch Arabella into the sun. 

“I _said_ that your salve will scorch if you leave it any longer.” Hecate made an imperious gesture and shut off the fire under the cauldron. “Don’t make me revise my opinion of your potion-making abilities.” 

“Sorry. Got caught up in my thoughts for a moment there." 

“I’m sure.” Hecate turned back to her own potion and administered a thorough stirring that Dimity didn’t think it needed. “I don’t suppose you were thinking about your problems with Miss Hempnettle, were you?” 

“My problems with--oh I am going to _throttle_ Enid Nightshade the next time I see her. I keep so many secrets for those girls, you’d think they could keep at least one for me.” Dimity started to stamp her foot, but realised just in time that it would probably be the final insult to her injured hip and stopped. 

Hecate raised her eyebrows at the word _secrets_ , but didn’t comment. “Enid had nothing to do with it,. At least not this time. It was Ada. She mentioned that you and Miss Hempnettle had what one might call a--a difficult history.” 

“That’s one way to put it,” Dimity said. Mentally, she changed her launching-into-the-sun plans to include both Arabella and the Headmistress. The image of the tiny twin fireballs they’d send up as they crashed into its boiling surface was very satisfying. “Look, don’t take this the wrong way, HB, but I’d really rather not talk about it.” 

“Yes, I understand that.” Hecate’s forehead was so deeply furrowed with the effort of having this conversation that she could have planted potatoes in it. “And I’m hardly the most qualified of witches when it comes to giving advice about dealing with former friends, but over the past few years I have been shown--entirely against my will, I might add--that ignoring the issue almost never helps. If I had spent less time trying to avoid interpersonal situations that upset me, and more time working to correct them and tell people how I really felt, my life might be quite different now, in more ways than one.” 

Dimity suddenly felt warmer towards Hecate than she’d ever felt in the long course of their acquaintance. To say that Hecate wasn’t known for her emotional acumen was an understatement akin to saying that fish weren’t known for their ability to breathe air. She looked as if she were having her long pointy fingernails pulled out one by one, and yet here she was, trying to be helpful in the best way she could. It wasn’t quite enough to make Dimity want to hug her, but almost. 

“I know,” she said. “And I appreciate that you’re taking the trouble to say so, but it’s a bit more complex of a situation than it seems. I’ll think about it, though, and do what I can. All right?”

Hecate gave an awkward nod of acknowledgement, appearing glad to be done with the topic. 

“Go to bed, Miss Drill. I’ll see to it that your salve cools properly.” 

“Thanks again,” Dimity said. “Oh, and about that whole ‘keeping secrets for the girls’ thing…” 

“As if I didn’t already know.” Hecate said. 

She waved a hand, and before Dimity could say another word, she’d manifested in her bed, tucked up snugly with her head on the pillow. Hecate had even somehow managed to change her out of her daytime clothes and into her flannel nightgown. She’d have a word with Hecate tomorrow about transporting people without asking first, she thought, yawning. Maybe. If she wasn't busy sending Arabella on a long one-way trip of her own. 


End file.
